


shelter

by loveandhope



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Character Death Fix, Dorks in Love, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Reunions, Good Uchiha Obito, Happy Ending, Hatake Kakashi Has Feelings, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Nohara Rin Lives, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Reunions, Team Minato-centric, Team as Family, Uchiha Obito Lives, Uchiha Obito Needs a Hug, Uchiha Obito-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:08:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27206368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loveandhope/pseuds/loveandhope
Summary: Аfter being held captive in a cave by Madara Uchiha for months, Obito manages to escape.Нe just wants to go home, to see his team again, fortunately, they are always there to help their precious person.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Namikaze Minato & Nohara Rin & Uchiha Obito, Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Obito
Comments: 12
Kudos: 195





	shelter

**Author's Note:**

> so i've changed marada's plans for Obito a little because that was what my heart wanted, sorry(?), but they are still cruel, ya know  
> maybe a little ooc, but i really needed that fluff, and i hope u'll like that story, my dudes!  
> would realy appreciate if you, guys, like, commented if you like or dislike something here, but anyway have a good day!

The sense of time disappeared faster than Obito could have guessed. Of course, he still had a vague idea that it might have been several months already, but that was all he could say. His head was constantly fogged by constant bouts of pain, nausea, and dizziness, and the familiar high ceiling of the cold cave was often the only thing that the twelve year old Obito could remember after prolonged experiments on his body. 

Madara Uchiha, if this man really is who he claims to be, even though most of the time he was in a semi-conscious state, connected by white wires to a huge statue behind him, remained adept at studying the modification and improvement of the human body. 

He never hid the purpose of his experiments. 

He needed Obito's innate abilities, revealed during the kannabi bridge. Obito didn't know whether to curse his ability to dematerialize or not, because it had both saved his life and condemned him to incessant experiments in a damp cave while the rest of the world thought he was dead, while the four most important people in his life were probably grieving for him, not knowing that he was trapped here.

Obito was breathing heavily, no longer trying to contain it. He barely noticed the tears running down his dirty, dusty cheeks. He wanted to see the sun again. Obito squeezed his eyes shut, fiercely forcing himself to think again and again about the escape plan, desperately trying to distract himself from the cutting, pulsing pain in the right, modified part of his body. Obito knew that as soon as Madara succeeded in his experiments and found a way to acquire his abilities, he would be disposed of at the same time as garbage, and then his team would not mourn him in vain. Obito tried to blink away the tears that were blurring his irritated, swollen eyes and turned his head to the side. Near the wooden bed on which he was moved sometimes - in cases when he fainted from pain or exhaustion - two white creatures, created from Hashirama's cells - like his hand - stood and stared at him. Obito turned his head away, feeling another wave of nausea rising in his throat. 

Obito liked to remember of Kakashi. His fortitude, persistence, patience, and endurance gave him the strength to withstand everything that he was forced to go through. His dark-gray eyes, his caring nature covered with a roughness and a feigned detachment, his quiet laugh, his sharp mind, were the strongest motivation to find a way to return home.

Obito closed his eyes and remembered. 

In fact, Obito had always guessed that behind the arrogance and silence, there were social skills no more outstanding than raw potatoes had. He just never had the chance to prove it to others who were used to see Kakashi as a prodigy, more mature, experienced, and intelligent than the others around him. But Obito saw that Kakashi could also blush and be nervous just like a normal person, though he couldn't explain why. So every time Obito invaded his personal space during another argument, forcefully grabbing the collar and almost pinning the asshole to him, or bringing his face so close to Kakashi’s that their noses almost touched, Uchiha considered it as a victory, naively believing that his audacity and fiery tirade were enough to leave the young Hatake almost without words, with a hidden blush under black mask. In such situations, Minato would sigh, exchange a brief, barely noticeable look with Rin that Obito didn't understand, and calmly separate the two team members. Obito liked Kakashi, he really liked him, and he wouldn't admit it to others, but he even admired him, enjoyed watching him at any convenient time, how he trained, how he talked, how he walked, and even managed to convince himself that his obsession and lightness in his stomach came solely from the desire to become like Kakashi, to become as strong and recognized by others as him.

Obito couldn't help but startle when a sudden, hoarse voice rang out over his head, snapping him out of the memories that gave him the illusion of peace and comfort:

"I believe your body has already fully adapted to the replacement", the calm, deceptively disinterested voice came out as nothing more than a whisper.

Obito held his breath soundlessly, holding back the nervousness that paralyzed his body no less than the wooden shackles that gripped his wrists, feet, and neck. Obito couldn't see Madara, but he could feel his presence behind his head. 

"I can't find any trouble which could possibly disturb your condition", Madara stated, and Obito forced himself to stifle a chuckle, knowing it would come out more hysterical than cocky, while at the same time choking on a bad feeling. Something was wrong. The two white creatures were nowhere to be seen. Obito clenched his fists, feeling a cold tingle on the tips of his slightly numb fingers, acutely aware of the almost never-ending bruises on his limbs and throat. Obito flinched as a large, rough hand came down on his bare shoulder; the boy tried to turn his head so that he could see Madara, see what he was going to do. Madara had never touched him before. He could hardly remember a couple of times when he had touched his hand to connect wires, but that was all. Obito suddenly felt sick. The moment he wanted to shove the hand off his shoulder, Madara stepped in his sight. And Obito froze at the way he was observing the little boy’s body, though it felt impossible to decipher any of any strange emotions on his face. 

"I have lived a long life, Obito, and I have done many things that many would consider disgusting and unforgivable," Obito shuddered to find Madara towering over him on his left side, looking directly into his eyes, "so I believe you don't have to doubt that I will go all the way if necessary"

Obito instantly felt his mouth go dry. He didn't quite understand what Madara was implying, but even he wasn't as stupid as Kakashi thought, to naively believe that it was something good.

Obito couldn't stifle a sharp gasp that bordered on a startled cry as a broad, dry hand made its way from his shoulder to the bottom of his stomach and stopped at the elastic bands of his shorts. 

Minato Sensei had taught them many times how to suppress panic in dangerous or stressful situations, but Obito's confused brain couldn't figure out what to do when someone was going to rape you. Puberty hadn't hit yet, but being a ninja, even a mere genin, meant being prepared for what might happen, knowing what was happening, and what to do. 

Obito couldn't breathe. 

The high ceiling of the cave now seemed terribly close, oppressive, as if it promised to hold him within these walls forever. Obito gasped as a hand slid over his crotch and squeezed lightly, waiting for a reaction.

”Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me!”, he cried half-breathlessly, not quite hearing himself, but feeling tears, floating down his cheeks, as he started twitching violently, trying his best, trying to do anything to shove the adult’s hand off him.

The lack of response made his panic worse in some way, giving him a sense of realization that this was serious and the man wasn't going to stop. When the numbness and initial shock passed, Obito began jerking with all his might, like a mad man fighting for the last thing he had. Out of the corner of his eye, through his tears, he noticed a few hand signs, and at the same time, the wooden shackles and the table, on which he was lying, began to move, changing position, but not for a second letting go of Obito, squeezing his limbs harder, and not giving him a chance to escape. Obito found himself in a semi-sitting position, with his legs spread wide and unable to move, his mind blurred with fear and a strange pressing pain in his chest. Obito began to cry harder, almost silently, watching in mute horror as the rapist approached him; Madara's hands went to his own clothes, and before Obito could realize it, he closed his eyes – eye – like a frightened child afraid of a thunderstorm, looking for shelter. The rustle of clothing reached him with deafening volume, and the discarded robes hit the ground with a thud that hit Obito's ears.

I believe you don't have to doubt that I will go all the way if necessary.

Obito remembered the words, now clearly aware of their meaning, and unconsciously started shouting "no" again and again and again, with increasing volume and desperation as he heard, as he felt Madara approaching him, reaching out to touch, to...

Obito felt as if he couldn't breathe for several long seconds as his eye flashed in sharp pain as a huge amount of chakra rose in him.

"It was easier than I thought," a firm, insinuating voice slowly brought Obito back to reality, "What a pity", Madara said.

Blinking faintly, Obito raised his head, looking blankly at Madara as he started putting on his clothes. A strange tingling sensation in his body made Obito look down at his hands in disbelief as his limbs passed through the shackles that half held him now. He started to gasp for air as his limp body hit the muddy ground of the cave with a thud. A second passed, Obito held his hard breath, regaining clear consciousness, and jerked forward only to immediately meet the fiery infernal eyes of Uchiha Madara. A beastly grin flashed across his lips, and Obito's body and mind screamed at him to run, run, run away, but he already lost at the moment he looked into the demonic glare of the Sharingan.

Obito screamed. 

"Don't underestimate me, child," a soft voice drawled, deceptively soporific, "you didn't think I was trying to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan in you without thinking about how perfectly it would develop your abilities", Obito didn't hear his own deafening cry, feeling every cell in his body being torn apart in genjutsu, an unbearable pain that killed his mind and all his senses, but Madara's steady whisper completely filled his mind; the pain rose and disappeared in uneven waves, making the torture more palpable and unpredictable. "I am old and I am dying, I know that, but I am still Madara Uchiha. Now we can continue, Obito. Not much left."

Obito felt like he was losing his mind. He heard a scream. A familiar voice, but it was too vague. Perhaps he was dying, because the faces of his precious people flashed in front of his eyes. He saw Minato Sensei's scared to death face, Kushina's terrified and worried eyes, Rin's tense and attentive face, her eyes glistening with barely noticeable tears as she was saying something quickly and soundlessly. Obito didn't understand what he saw or what was happening, but he was grateful that was able to see the faces of his family maybe for the last time in his life.

It took Obito a few seconds to realize that at some point everything had stopped. He gasped for air, panting and choking on it, and managed to focus his vision on Madara, who was standing not far from him, calmly conversing with the white creature. He had time to notice the bewilderment on Madara Uchiha’s face before the man turned his face to the panting figure of the little genin. Obito didn’t miss his chance. He averted his gaze before Madara could overcome his incomprehension, gritted his teeth, and ran. Ignoring the pounding heart that was impossibly loud in his ears, the muffling screams behind him, he just had to run. He dared to spend a second near the wall of the cave that he knew marked the blocked exit from here, reached out a hand that went right through without a problem, and ran forward, not looking, not knowing the way, not sparing himself and not paying attention to the usual pain everywhere. His friends, his team, his family. He must see them, he must go back to them, he must...

The sunlight blinded him. He gasped, losing control of his body and falling to his knees, but immediately pulling himself together, digging his nails into the ground, pulling up grass with his foot, ready to run again, but was immediately hit by something heavy that caused him to lose all air from his lungs, and the moment later feel a heady flash of pain as his back met the thick trunk of a tree. The force of the blow was inhuman. Obito could hear muttering in the periphery as he tried to regain his clarity. Obito squeezed his eyes shut, this time desperately trying to regain control of his power, when at the same moment a pale, white hand aimed a powerful blow at him, leaving a huge crater at the exact place where Obito crouched, into which they both instantly fell. Obito didn't remember much after that. He climbed, he ran desperately without stopping, noticing the continuous attacks and punches aimed at him, but never reaching the target. 

Obito was never able to tell how much time has passed, for how long he was running, or when the attacks stopped.

He was exhausted, his body was in agony, his mind was unclear. But he wasn't dehydrated, and he wasn't starving, which made Obito once again glad about the benefits of his new part of the body. 

Obito jerked, feeling the coolness under his feet, finding himself standing ankle - deep in a clear stream. He dropped to his knees, letting his limp hands sink into the refreshing water; closed his eyes, and without a second thought rinsed his face, enjoying the freshness. Obito raised his head to the sky, still not daring to open his eyes, but feeling as if he had once again allowed himself to cry, letting out a sound like laughter and whimper at the same time. He lay back in the stream, opened his eyes, and took a deep shaky breath, not intending to wipe or stop the tears. They felt like relief.

Obito continued walking. Judging by the sun's movements, it's been at least a few hours of wandering through the forest. He had no idea which way Konoha was, but he decided that he should come across at least a person or a small settlement, anything that might help him with the direction. Obito was faintly aware that if he had any more strength, he would be scared and constantly looking around, expecting to see Madara or his vile plant-like creatures still chasing him. But right now, he only felt tired. Obito just wanted to go home.

At one point, he thought he saw some yellow flash through the foliage. He couldn't be sure. He was too tired, even tired to cry again about how much he wanted all this to be over. Even when he got out of the cave, he still felt trapped. 

“Obito”, a soft quiet voice sounded.

Obito couldn't find the strength to startle. Straining and waiting for something terrible to happen, he turned toward the sound. It took him a few seconds to realize. A few meters away, looking at him with a mixture of complex emotions that Obito wasn’t able to define at this moment, were standing Kakashi, Rin, Kushina and Minato Sensei. A strangled sound escaped Obito's mouth.

”Obito?”, Minato Sensei took a few cautious steps towards him; his voice lacked the habitual firmness and confidence, it was unusual. His tone conveyed the pain that he tried to hide, he radiated hope; Minato Sensei's entire appearance expressed a desire to get closer, to touch, to make sure that Obito truly was alive, that it was really Obito, his Obito, one of the students, one of his children, whom he thought he had lost several endless, painful months ago. Rin was crying. She stood behind their Sensei, covering her mouth with a small hand; Kushina, standing beside her, put down a supportive hard on the girl’s shivering shoulder. Kakashi, not far from her, looked as if now will break apart from the overflowing of his feelings. Obito could have sworn that tears were gathering in his dark gray eye, which contained a mixture of pain and great relief.

Obito jerked back. This little motion made everyone freeze where they stood, Minato Sensei, already looking more collected and confident, which was more like Konoha's well-known Yellow Flash, raised his hands in front of him, looking at Obito confidentially , as if trying to convince him that they weren’t a threat to him, that they would never harm him.

"Obito, it's okay. This is me, Minato, your Sensei, Kakashi , Rin and Kushina are here with me. We are here to help you."

Minato Sensei's voice was so kind and convincing that Obito really wanted to believe him. But it was all too good. So good that it couldn't be true. Obito frowned, gathering his last remaining strength, forcing himself to stay conscious, forcing himself to stand firmly on his feet, without staggering - which wasn’t really successful - but getting ready to defend himself.

“Stay away from me”, Obito whispered, and it took mostly everything for Minato not to jerk back, but he remained still. "I know it's just some trick to get me back to the cave", the boy continued, voice quiet and vulnerable, “You can't be here. Everyone presume I’m dead”, Obito felt weak and small, he wanted them to be real so much, to be here, but couldn’t let himself such a right to hope if the cost of it was his freedom. He wanted to cry again. Kakashi was right, constantly calling him a crybaby. Obito held back the tears and any other emotions; he had to come up with a plan, come up with something. He felt helpless. The world around him was losing its brightness from time to time, plunging for a second into darkness and back again. 

Minato felt terribly. He had to do something, find a way to get close to the child, practically his child, even if officially only his student. Obito looked like he'd been through hell. Minato stared with a dull ache at the thin, small body of a twelve year old child whose right half of his body and right arm had been replaced with some white substance. Obito's body was shivering slightly, from exhaustion and cold, because the child was wearing only dark blue shorts, littered with dirt and mud, and his bare feet were standing in the rough grass and still bare spring ground. There were fading but still pretty noticeable bruises on the boy’s neck and thin limbs, and Minato felt his heart shattering, as bitter feeling of guilt gripped his own throat.

”I'm not going back to the cave”, they barely managed to hear Obito’s weak whisper, almost bordering with pleading, while Minato made a few warily steps forward with concern, as the boy started to stagger, ready to catch him in an instant. ”I’m not going back, Madara”, if Obito registered how all the three people around him froze, he didn’t understand why. ”I’m not… I’m…”

Obito didn't know why his body and mind decided to give up at this moment, but he didn't have the energy to really think of it. He felt his legs buckle as he started to fall, but there was no impact on the ground because before it could happen, someone’s firm, gentle hands caught him, as he was the most precious thing in the world. Obito couldn’t decide whether he felt safe or scared, but at least he was happy to finally receive some peace in darkness.

///

Obito awoke in silence. The first sound he received was his own measured, quiet breathing. His gaze wandered around the space before awareness gripped him by the throat, robbing him of oxygen and peace in an instant. Obito was in the dark. He didn't see anything. 

He didn't know where he was.

Obito abruptly got to his feet, losing his vision for a second from the sudden rise, panting from the overwhelming hopelessness, fighting a slight dizziness and the flash of pain in his stomach, which made his face wrinkle. In the dim, with his eyes just getting used to the darkness, he almost immediately bumped into a solid body, and staggered back a couple of steps in horror. Obito didn't miss the way the stranger's eyes snapped open in pure shock, but he didn't understand the reason of it. However, the stranger quickly regained his composure, and Obito heard warm and reassuring muttering from the man. As the long minute passed, and Obito’s eyes got used to the dark, the person in front of him changed from a stranger to Minato-Sensei, whose kind blue eyes never left Obito for a second, looking with a hope to gain awareness and understanding from him. Obito exhaled slowly, lowering his gaze and slowly collecting his thoughts when he found himself standing literally in the middle of the bed, and then carefully moved to the side, now facing the man.

“Minato-Sensei?”, he croaked weakly. The smile on Minato’s face made his heart a little warmer; the man nodded. Obito cautiously looked around, shyly and unsure, and whispered quietly: “Where am i?”

"We are in the hospital, in Konoha. We found you in the woods and brought you here, remember?", Minato slowly reached out to the window, not taking his eyes off the thoughtful and slightly confused Obito, and pulled back the curtains, allowing the morning sun to enter the room, "You were out for the rest of the day and the night. It is morning now." Obito watched the morning streets of Konoha as if spellbound, unable to look away.

A vague rustle to his left made Obito turn sharply. On the other side of the bed Kakashi and Rin were standing, their tense figures expressing a desire to approach Obito, but looking like they weren't sure if they were allowed to; both pre-teens took a deep breath when Obito hesitantly pronounced their names, barely restraining his emotions and holding himself in place so as not to rush to hug them both. However, he needed confidence. He needed to be sure.

”I need… I…”, Obito trailed off, feeling miserable, but Minato's encouraging, soft gaze helped him to continue, “can you tell me something that only my team knows? Just something.”

Kakashi was the first to answer:

“Once after training, you noticed a drowning cat in the river, and almost drowned yourself while trying to pull it out, because the flow was too strong. Rin and I had to jump in the water to get you out, too. In the end, it turned out that from the distance you confused the animal with the package, so you almost drowned because of the garbage", despite the strong blush on Obito's cheeks, he felt strangely calmer and more comfortable with each word spoken. Kakashi's voice was confident but warm, Obito could feel it, "I've been bringing up this topic for the whole week, making fun of your eyesight, and you were pouting every time."

It took Obito a moment to realize that there was a faint smile on his face. Even if the memories were somewhat embarrassing for him, the incident has already turned into one of the warm stories that you can all laugh together at in a friendly way. Obito felt a hand on his shoulder. He shifted his gaze to Minato-Sensei, surprised to find that he didn't even flinch at the touch. He felt safe, and the tactile contact was not repulsive, even though he had to suppress the memory of Madara; right now everything just seemed right. Obito couldn't hear what Minato-Sensei was saying about home, but his soft expression was enough to make the wall of disbelief inside Obito finally collapse, and he hugged him tightly. Minato's figure was just as big and strong as Madara's, but there was no threat in him. Minato seemed to radiate an aura of safety and security that overwhelmed all fears, like a stable shelter in a bad weather that would protect him from all misfortunes.

One hand came down on Obito's back, holding him close, and the other rested on his head, lightly stroking his black hair. At some point, Obito realized that Kakashi and Rin were hugging him too, all of them tucked together under Minato-Sensei’s arms. It felt nice. Minato regretted that Kushina was not with them at this moment, as she decided to get some food for everyone, since none of them had eaten anything since almost the morning when it all started.

If Kakashi and Kushina used to joke about Minato acting like a mother hen to his children, it only got worse after Obito left, but no one ever mentioned it. Everyone just accepted it, knowing that not only Minato needed it, but they all needed it. And if the training became more complicated with the equial force, then no one complained about it either. Previously, Minato often liked to invite his team to his home, where Kushina would cook some interesting dish for everyone, while Minato eventually tried to save the dish, since his girlfriend's culinary skills were far from good; often, instead of sending the children home alone, they would arrange sleepovers, movie nights, and any other pastimes together. 

Each of them since the kannabi bridge, without exception, was always painfully aware of the absence. Because he wasn't there during training, during lunches, there was none of his voice, his chatter, his laughter; he just wasn't there. And each time it was too painful to realize it.

After the mission ended, when only three of them returned, Minato was completely lost, not knowing what to do. Rin was constantly crying silently, with a blank, lost look, and almost never spoke unless it turned into rudeness towards Minato-Sensei or Kushina. Kakashi locked himself in his house for a few days; Minato couldn't tell anyone how much he wanted to do the same, but the difference was that he was an adult; he was Konoha's Yellow Flash, a ninja-Jounin, and their Sensei after all, and that was why he had to stay strong for Kakashi and everyone else. When Minato arrived at Kakashi's door on the fourth day, he was somewhat relieved to hear the soft breathing and muffled voices of his student’s ninken. This meant that Kakashi no longer wanted to be alone, and was slowly ready to make contact. While Minato hesitated at the front door, not knowing whether to intervene right now or not, Pakkun opened the unlocked door, and simultaneously greeted him with a slight nod, inviting him inside. Minato knew that if his disciple was against his presence, his dogs would never open the door for him; he found Kakashi on the floor in the middle of the living room, tightly surrounded by a pack in some sort of an embrace. They didn’t talk much that day; Minato was just staying quietly by the kid’s side, offering him support with soft words and presence. Pakkun was sleeping on his lap. At the end of the day, Minato managed to persuade Kakashi to come to his house, where Rin was already with Kushina. Kushina was telling Kakashi about some seals which were the most in demand in her clan, telling stories in an attempt to distract both children while Minato prepared onigiri for everyone.

Each training session was almost unbearable, but both Kakashi and Rin were happy to distract their minds with aching pain all over their bodies at the end of a long day, constant thoughts about the best strategy, sparrings and lots of new jitsu that Minato taught them.

On the day Obito returned, Minato's team woke up after another sleepover; Kakashi blinked sleepily, squinting in the morning sun, sitting at the kitchen table, while the rest of the team were lazily finishing their breakfast. When everyone finished, Kakashi and Minato volunteered to help with the dishes; Kakashi was carrying the last dirty glass to the sink at the time when he suddenly stopped, for a second overwhelmed by a sharp flash of chakra in his left eye - Obito's eye - and tried to blink, trying to cope with the rush of vibration and power in it. Minato was the first to notice that something was wrong. He turned to the youngest member of the team and frowned, but before he could ask if he was okay, Kakashi screamed. The glass hit the wooden floor and shattered. Kakashi felt a hellish amount of debilitating pain, like needles piercing his body and mind, disappearing and resuming with renewed vigor, which made his hands shake slightly and forget about his vaunted self-control even in cases of injuries or other types of inconvenience. 

Kakashi fell to his knees, hunched over, his hands almost falling into the shards, as Minato caught him in time, barely being able to breathe from his own panic for Kakashi, while genin himself could not distinguish the commotion that had formed around him. He saw the darkness. He saw a menacing silhouette, which was giving off an incredible sense of danger, threat, a firm intention to harm. Kakashi heard how the demonic shadow revealed his name, how Obito’s name was sounded. 

Then came the real pain, making what Kakashi felt before just something childish and not serious. Kakashi didn't feel how he was literally lying in someone's strong but slightly trembling hands, did not notice the rising of despair, helplessness and barely noticeable tears in the eyes of this man, did not notice alarmed to death the eyes of his companions, all their attempts to talk to him. 

Kakashi felt like he was dying. 

His whole body was tense as metal, his back arched involuntarily from the constant pain; tears flowed from his eyes, and his nose began to bleed profusely, leaving wet maroon spots on his mask. His throat ached, and his voice, the soul-shattering cry of a child, was about to break into a rasp.

And then everything was gone. 

Kakashi tried to learn how to breathe again, at first only gasping for air, panting and fighting the dope and dizziness. He could feel a frightened but firm hand stroking his slightly sweaty hair, gently brushing the silvery curls from his face.

Suddenly, Kakashi froze completely, his eyes widening, causing everyone else in the room to stop as well, before scrambling to his feet, gathering his thoughts and memories that he had seen no more than a minute ago.

"Kakashi," Minato's voice made him staggerly turn around, meeting his eyes again. Kakashi felt strange. Something had obviously changed in him, and the answer was on the surface.

”Kakashi, your eye…”, Rin trailed off, looking at her teammate with some sort of disbelief in her brown eyes.

Kakashi held a breath, stopping himself from panting visibly, reaching a hand out to the raised hitae ate.

Mangekyo Sharingan.

Kakashi saw it in the mirror, he felt it, but he didn’t have time for this. He told them everything he saw and felt, without even a hesitation, not paying attention at the petrified faces of his family, at their shock; he knew that they had to hurry, that they had to do something as soon as possible.

Kakashi couldn’t say for sure if they fully believed him about still alive Madara Uchiha or Obito, but he thought that maybe at least they wanted to believe, they needed that chance, even if their hope could turn out as a great disappointment and even more broken hearts. 

But now, with Obito very much alive, their Obito, they knew it was all worth it. The doctors came and went several times to check on his general condition, not quite sure how to respond to the news that because of the modification, he no longer needed - did not adopt - any kind of water or food, that he didn’t need sleep, unless his body and mind were completely exhausted from overexertion. In the end, they just gave him a professional nod and left him alone with Minato, Rin, Kakashi and recently arrived Kushina, who still had tears in her eyes and not being able to let go of Obito, barely stopping herself every now and then from hugging her kid, holding him close, just needing to listen to his heartbeat and know that he was okay and really here. Traces of shock from the news were still clearly visible on their faces, although some of them tried to soften them culturally.

Obito felt uncertain. His hand fumbled uncontrollably with the snow-white covers of the bed where he was reclining, squinting slightly against the gathering strength of the sun that was making its way into the room.

”Am i a freak now?”, Obito asked in a barely audible voice, not addressing the question to anyone in particular, but rather just expressing his thoughts out loud. He truly felt miserable. He was an outcast during his whole life, and he frightened to guess what people would think of him now, when he is not even fully a human anymore, but some kind of an experiment with the disgusting plant-like half of the body.

”No”, a stern, firm voice of Kakashi almost made him startle. Obito looked up at him, glaring at him with a look of childish and innocent hope that made him look younger than he already was. “You are nothing less of Uchiha Obito than you were before. You are still the same person, my teammate, my friend, and you are alive, Obito. This is all what matters.”

Oh.

Obito suddenly felt a strange, exciting lightness in his stomach. Is Kakashi really calling him his friend right now? Perhaps it even meant that he wasn’t completely indifferent to Obito, at least he didn’t think bad of him. He noticed the strange grin on his Sensei's face and realized that his entire face was flushed as he silently looked at Kakashi with a gentle expression. Kakashi didn't look as if he didn't like anything, though his face was mostly expressionless. Suddenly Kakashi slightly leaned in his side, avoiding any eye contact, and decisively took Obito's hand, leaving the young Uchiha with lightly raised in amazement shoulders and surprised, reddened face. Obito immediately tried to hide his emotions, trying to conceal his feelings as skillfully as Kakashi was doing now. Sly smiles began to appear at the corners of everyone else's lips anyway.

Minato, with a soft heart, allowed everyone to enjoy the warm moment and light atmosphere in the room before he had to bring up the heavy but unavoidable topic. He would have liked to avoid it, but he knew that they had to go through it anyway, just as he clearly knew that it would not be easy.

After a while, Minato made up his mind. He asked Obito to tell him what had happened, deciding to start from the beginning. He did not miss how Obito's face darkened, and how the General cheerfulness of the return of the precious person immediately fell. Obito's body was tense, he avoided meeting anyone's eyes, but he never took his hand away from Kakashi, allowing the boy to be there when it was especially necessary. He just needed this.

Obito intentionally was trying to avoid their gazes during as he stammered and quietly described how he was able to survive under the rubble during the kannabi bridge mission. He should have died there. In a semi-conscious state, feeling almost nothing but a dull ache, subsiding slightly and fading like his consciousness, Obito almost accepted that everything should have ended that day. He was happy to think that in the last moments he could give Kakashi something valuable, a part of himself, the Sharingan, and get a promise to protect Rin, whose love for her, as for his own sister, always warmed him. And in the midst of countless days, spent in the dank, dark cave, Obito couldn't decide if he was glad to be saved. During these months, there was no concept of day or night - space was equally lonely and opressive. Surrounded by ruthless, silent invaders, Obito was closing his eye and imagining the faces of the people he loved, so that for a moment he could forget about reality.

Minato successfully hid his emotions; he listened to the child's slightly confused story with an almost unshakable face, not giving himself the right to show signs of weakness again, gently squeezing Kushina's hand in his, grateful for her silent support. He, like everyone else present, needed all of the self-control to keep himself collected while Obito, timidly looking down at something in front of him, was telling them about what experiments were being performed on him, and what goals Madara was trying to achieve. Kakashi kept his eyes closed. If he had had a little less self-control, he would have squeezed Obito's hand until it crunched mercilessly, but instead he expressed his burning anger at Madara by squeezing the edge of the chair with his free hand until his knuckles were white. Minato could hear the metal creaking dangerously under the boy’s grip. Rin put her hand on Kakashi's shoulder, meeting his eyes for a second; he tried to take a deep breath then, and began absent-mindedly stroking the Obito’s palm with his thumb.

Then Minato asked the very question Obito wanted to avoid the most.

They wanted to know how Obito got the Mangekyou Sharingan. The room fell into silence. No one expected a simple response, no one expected a calm reaction, because acquiring something so powerful meant going through a traumatic experience.

Obito wanted to disappear. Like a coward to hide himself somewhere from their gaze, never raise this topic. He was pathetic. He felt weak, weaker than when Kakashi beat him in another sparring session during training, weaker than when Rin had to heal him for another ridiculous injury. Obito thought that he was probably so pathetic that it only took Madara to touch him without going any father.

Obito felt shabby and lost; he asked himself should he be happy? On the other hand, this only served as a confirmation of his persistent weakness. He should have been relieved that nothing more had happened, then why was he so confused?

A gentle hand touched his cheek and Obito met Kushina's caring gaze. She was always so kind to him, patient and understanding. Obito often wondered was it what it felt like to have a mother. 

”That’s okay”, she whispered softly, looking at him with a heartily smile on her face; she gently wiped away a few tears with her fingers, and this is then Obito realized he was crying. ”We all understand that it isn't easy. But we are here for you. And we love you no matter what, Obito.”

He managed to give a small smile back. With a sudden burst of determination Obito realized that he wanted to tell them, just share with them everything they wanted to know, and simply wait for what would happen. He wanted to get rid of this burden. He just hoped nothing will change between them. 

”That’s nothing that bad actually”, croaked Obito, wiping some of remaining tears hastily and regaining some sort of the control back; he didn't need to see their faces to feel the skepticism hidden deep in their gaze. Kakashi’s grip remained strong and supportive at his hand, “Well… Uh, he… He wanted… He was trying to rape me”, Obito had never felt such a furious embarrassment, burning on his face, on the whole body, he felt like he was about to lose his composure again, but at least averting his gaze from their eyes a little helped him holding back his tears, gathering against his will; Obito had never felt such a crushing, tense silence before, and he could say for sure that it was highly uncomfortable to say the least; he continued hurriedly: “but that's okay, really! I mean, nothing, like, really terrible had happened. I mean, I kind of snapped before he could actually do, uh, something awful, so he stopped. He achieved what he needed. He said it was such a pity that it took me that little to snap, that he didn’t even need to go all the way”, Obito added quietly after all of the nervous mumbling, feeling like everything inside him was ruining slowly, how his heart hurt. “Though I always knew I was weak”, he whispered. Miserable, miserable, miserable, misera…

A deafeningly loud creak of broken metal rang out in the dead silence of the room, making Obito jerk violently and with wide eyes, as if cornered and expecting something terrible, to stare in front of him. At first, he expected to see Kakashi on the rubble of the broken edge of the bed, but it was Minato, whose dark, murderous gaze was directed to the floor, as if the man was on the verge of breaking loose. Kushina breathed out his name in half-dismay, peering restless and surprisingly collected eyes into Minato's face, as if conducting wordless dialogue, as if begging him "I understand, I know, but not here, please, not now." All the attention in the room was focused only on them now, waiting for the result, for the incredible strength of Minato’s killer intent to loosen. Rin was pale, her emotions were strangling her, she wanted to help, while with her mind perceived that for now she only needed to wait for a little, just a little. 

Finally Minato looked at the confused and frightened Obito, and the guilt on the man's face was unbearable.

”I'm sorry, Obito”, he spoke quietly, with a sad, regretful smile which even made Obito slightly amiss. ”I didn't mean to startle you. And I’m sorry that happened to you, Obito. I-I should have know. I should have been there for you. But he will never do anything to you again”, he said, looking straight in the boy’s black eye.

“What?”

”We haven't told you that yet, but Madara Uchiha is dead”, Obito blinked several times in confusion, and Minato continued, “Back then in the forest, i felt someone's presence. Some white creatures were going after you. When I held you to carry home, they attacked. I believe they were waiting for you to pass out so you won’t be able to dematerialize. We took care of one of them, and brought the other one to Konoha to get access to his memory. That’s how we knew that was really you, Obito, and where to find Madara. ANBU took care of him too, even if it was tough. We were really lucky he was already dying. But it is over now.”

After some time passed, Obito quietly thanked him; Kushina couldn’t help but give the boy bone-crashing, heart-warming hug. Obito started feeling tired, though no physically, which everyone seemed to notice, so they decided to give him some space. Kakashi reluctantly was thinking about of letting go of Obito’s hand, looking hesitantly, as Kushina, Minato and Rin were leaving the room leisurely. Minato lightly kissed Obito on the forehead, ruffling his messy black hair a little; Rin hugged him almost as tightly as Kushina, promising to be back soon. 

Obito tightened his grip on Kakashi’s hand, silently asking him to stay and refusing to look at him, so he didn’t see how the other boy’s eye wrinkled a little in a genuine smile, and remained at his place by Obito’s side.

Kushina found Minato near one of the emergency exits from the hospital; his figure betrayed tension, and any other person who did not know him would have limited himself to this description, since nothing more could be said about him. However, Kushina was not an outsider. She saw how her boyfriend, sitting on a bench in the shade of broad-leaved trees, was slowly eating himself from the inside with guilt and sorrow. Minato didn’t change a blank stare in front of him as his girlfriend sat down next to him, placing a thin hand on his shoulder, squeezing him slightly and tilting her head down to see his face.

“I know what you're thinking,” she said. Minato sighed as he tried to collect his thoughts. "We couldn't have known anything, honey. Obito is strong, even if he doesn't believe in it now, and he has us."

“I know,” Minato met her eyes, striking the girl with their depth and weight. Kushina remained silent, giving him the opportunity to speak out what was in his heart. All his life he had to be steadfast and unshakable, not entitled to the manifestation of weakness or pain; however, next to Kushina, he could be human again, "I know that we will do everything in our power for Obito. I just can't help thinking that ..." Minato took a deep breath, intertwining his fingers with Kushina’s, "even this morning, when we had breakfast in the kitchen, Obito was going through hell. I understand that we could not know, but this feeling haunts me. All this time..."

Kushina watched with concern as Minato rushed a hand through his own hair, taking a breathing more steady and slowly calming his heart.

Being ninja always involves danger. More than one broken heart, more than one lost soul or life may be hiding in this job; a good ninja should always keep his feelings in check, especially when the dear person was alive and the danger was overcome, Kushina knew this. Minato knew this; however, the point was that Obito was not an ordinary ninja for them - he was one of his children; his student. And Kushina understood this just plainly as she felt the exact same, which gave Minato the opportunity to be honest and open with her.

Kushina gently wrapped her arms around his shoulders, inviting him into a hug, and Minato was glad to accept it.

They talked quietly for a while, giving the students some freedom, until Minato noticed Rin emerging not far from them, glancing at them with uncertainty, doubting if she should approach or tactfully leave them alone. Minato smiled affectionately at Rin, and together with Kushina they decided everything for her - together they hugged her, offering their support, after which Minato told her that everything would be fine with Obito. His heart sank when he noticed the tears gathering in the girl's eyes, but Rin immediately brushed them away vividly, smiling confidently and broadly, speaking with determination in her voice, saying that Obito isn’t alone anymore, the team, the family has become whole again, so everything will be fine.

At this time in the ward, Obito did not know how to behave. Kakashi seemed unperturbed next to him, but Obito firmly assumed it was another mask. In any case, they were still holding hands, leaving a profuse blush on the young Uchiha's cheeks in sudden proximity. Obito stared at Kakashi for a while, thinking hard and frowning slightly.

“Thank you,” he said quietly at the end. Kakashi looked mildly surprised, or at least his eyes showed a certain amount of curiosity.

"For what?"

“I just realized that I was only able to get out because to you,” Obito felt his entire face burn in embarrassment due to several meanings of the phrase that he did not intend to imply - however, he wasn’t going to tell Kakashi that his stupid face was the main motivation not to give up. "During genjutsu," Obito recalled, timidly meeting the attentive gray eye, "because of the Sharingan you have, I managed to break through and escape. I saw the faces of Minato-Sensei, Kushina and Rin through your eyes. So… thank you."

“I'm just glad you’re back, stupid,” Kakashi replied, not even considering of telling him about the amount of pain he felt that day, giving Obito a chance to escape. He would have gone through this an infinite number of times if it meant that Obito was safe. Kakashi blushed with his own thoughts. Obito looked at him in amusement.

Even though he still didn't fully understand his feelings for Kakashi, he knew for sure that he wanted to always be by his side, just be with him.

Obito felt his eyes started stinging, but held it back, even though it was tears of joy. The happiness of being at home was manifested in the desire to dissipate deeply and hug all his precious people. He was safe, he felt loved. This was the true happiness.

**Author's Note:**

> upd: hi there again! i just decided that my new fic could be conidered as a sequel, so i'll put the link here too! https://archiveofourown.org/works/27421465


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